The textile raw material market is experiencing a clear divergence. On July 17, 2026, according to industry public data, among 17 monitored bulk textile commodities, only acrylonitrile and polyester staple fiber posted daily gains, while PTA, polyester POY, and raw silk declined. Although the overall daily average change was only -0.01%, the year-on-year price gap among different products has widened to over 30 percentage points, reflecting deep-seated differences in cost transmission and demand elasticity across the supply chain.
Upstream Raw Materials: Acrylonitrile vs. PTA
Acrylonitrile led the gainers with a 0.35% daily rise to 9,600 yuan/ton, up 22.29% year-on-year. This strength is closely linked to overseas plant maintenance, tightening supply. For downstream acrylic fiber and ABS resin producers, raw material cost pressure is accumulating, and purchasing decisions should focus more on overseas operating rates.
In stark contrast, PTA fell 0.44% to 5,985.91 yuan/ton, the biggest daily loser. Although PTA is still up 25.68% year-on-year, the short-term correction signal is clear. The decline is mainly driven by weaker crude oil prices and ample PX supply. For polyester mills, the softening PTA means reduced cost support for polyester filament yarn, as evidenced by the 0.23% drop in polyester POY.
Polyester Chain: Staple Fiber Rises Alone, Filament Yarn Under Pressure
Within the polyester sector, an unusual 'staple strong, filament weak' pattern emerged. Polyester staple fiber rose 0.30% to 7,469.43 yuan/ton, up 12.73% year-on-year, outperforming polyester FDY (flat) and polyester DTY (down 0.07%). The uptick is supported by phased restocking from yarn mills and reduced supply due to product mix shifts. However, the declines in polyester POY and DTY reflect low weaving mill operating rates and high grey fabric inventories.
This divergence means: for staple fiber buyers, prices still have support but chasing rallies carries risk; for filament yarn buyers, bargaining power is improving, especially for POY.
Cotton and Silk: Cotton Yarn Flat, Raw Silk Continues to Decline
Cotton yarn 21S and 32S prices remained flat at 23,333 yuan/ton and 24,725 yuan/ton, with year-on-year gains of 6.71% and 6.23%. This stalemate indicates that upstream cotton price fluctuations (down 0.02%) have not yet effectively passed through to the yarn level, with mills and fabric producers in a standoff. The market awaits clear downstream order signals to break the balance.
Raw silk continued its weak trend, falling 0.14% to 425,100 yuan/ton, down 10.34% year-on-year—the only monitored commodity with a negative annual change. Ample cocoon supply combined with sluggish export demand for silk fabrics are the core suppressing factors. For silk processors, current raw material costs are relatively low, but attention must be paid to potential trade policy changes.